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Traveling over the holiday season is a tradition that many families uphold. Whether you're going to visit out-of-town family members or embarking on your annual Colorado ski trip, escaping from the hustle and bustle of everyday life can be quite the holiday treat. For your furry family members, however, this is not the case. Being left alone at home while the people you love are away can be an unsettling experience, so here are some tips for keeping your pets comfortable and happy while you're gone.

Manning -- Mr. Clifford Joseph "Joe" Goodwin, 68, of 10 East Hospital Street, Manning and formerly of Camden died Thursday. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced at a later date by Brown's Funeral Home, Camden, who is serving the Goodwin Family.

Graveside service for John David "Johnny" O'Cain, 52, will be held Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Hardshell Cemetery. The Rev. Joe Stines will officiate. The family will receive friends Saturday 5-7 p.m. at Powers Funeral Home.

• It's sad to note that 2013 has been an "average" year when it comes to mass killings and victims in the United States. There have been 29 mass killings with a total of 147 victims, which is in line with other years since 2006. A few decades ago, nobody could have predicted such sobering figures; now, unfortunately, we Americans live with the threat of such violence on a daily basis.

Blaney Elementary School (BES) kindergartners, with the help of Jingle Bella the elf, helped to raise $125 for the United Way of Kershaw County. Kindergarten teacher assistant Katherine Rogers got inspiration for the fundraiser after purchasing Elf on a Shelf, Jingle Bella, for her family. "I decided to take her to school and she became very popular," said Rogers. Rogers and Kindergarten teacher Megan Goff got an idea to do a fundraiser in which Jingle Bella would sign $1 autographs for students. Each student who purchased an autograph would also have a photo taken with Jingle Bella. A check for ...

"Imagine you're the head of, say, a big German manufacturing company, and you're thinking of putting a sizable number of jobs here in South Carolina," said a South Carolina business leader to me recently. "And then you open up your morning newspaper and see this kind of knucklehead stuff. Is it an absolute deal breaker? Hopefully not. But it certainly doesn't help."

Breanna Cole, daughter of Todd Cole of Bishopville and Loretta (Watkins) and Fred Wrigley of Chapin, was chosen along with her varsity cheerleading team of Chapin High School to perform at the recent Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Pregame Performance at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 20th anniversary Boykin Christmas Parade saw an estimated turnout of between 9,000-12,000 people. With clear skies and pleasant tailgating temperatures, community members were able to kick back, relax and enjoy the day. At upper left, Tiffany Parnell of Elgin shows her son, Scott, the broom-making machine at The Broom Place in Boykin. Parnell and her family have been attending the Boykin parade for almost 10 years. Upper right, from left, Jennifer Stegner and Kelsey Mubarak attended the parade for the first time and both agreed it was a great time. Both Stegner and Mubarak live in Camden ...

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the churches, civic groups, businesses, and others that partnered with our schools to provide winter coats, gifts, and food for children in need during this season of giving. There is much to value about this community, but one of the things I value most is how this community always comes together when there is a need to be met. Please know how personally appreciative I am of everyone's generosity.

December 20, 2013|
Dr. Frank E. Morgan, Superintendent
Kershaw County School District
|Letters

I want to thank you and congratulate Kathleen Parker on her level-headed column about Pope Francis. She successfully flattened the hysteria that has blown up about some of Pope Francis' admonitions. Christians are not called to defend the free market. Common sense and everyone else calls them do to so. But Christians are called to leave nothing to chance when it comes to human suffering.

A Greenville legislator has pre-filed a bill in the General Assembly that would prohibit motorists from driving slowly in the left lane, thus holding up traffic. It would also ban drivers from using cell phones in the left lane and would make it illegal to drive five miles per hour slower than the posted limit while in the left lane. And it would outlaw ever driving in the left lane except for passing other cars.

"Camden in the Civil War: The Home Front" exhibit runs through Saturday, January 11, 2014. To cap off the run of this exhibit, the Carolina Ladies Aide Society from Summerville, S.C. will present a program that day from 10:00 until 4:00. This group specializes in living history, portraying women's roles during two eras of American's history – the Civil War period and the colonial period. Here, they will demonstrate life on the home front of South Carolina during the war. They research and document all of the clothing, mannerisms, customs, and items used in their presentations ...